Health

Stress, Working Conditions and Workers Health

Written by Carlos Rich

Low paying and high stress jobs take a toll on the human body.   No I am not a doctor, but I spend a lot of time talking to low wage workers in high stress work environments across the Midwest.  I have seen how these factors have contributed to illnesses like hypertension and depression.

According to 2010 StressRelatedIllness.com,

“Stress is one of the main reasons for the chronically elevating blood pressure which in turn causes hypertension. Stress also produces large amounts of vasoconstriction hormones that increase blood pressure. Job strain, race, social environment and emotional stress are the leading causes for hypertension.”

Let me tell you a story of two men I just met to… Read more

Immigration

American Hypocrisy

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

That Lou Dobbs and Meg Whitman—immigrant bashers extraordinaire—were both outed within a few days of each other for allegedly employing undocumented workers was amazingly… unsurprising.  The ever testy Dobbs, not unexpectedly, seethed at the allegations.  Whitman, having declared the Latino vote crucial to her success, stumbled and may have completely torched her campaign as a result of her recent admission that she had an undocumented immigrant housekeeper for nine years.  Both have used immigrants and immigration as foils for their politics; both have helped expose, once again, the utter, base hypocrisy of anti-immigrant fervor in the U.S.

Dobb’s and Whitman’s personal variations of the infamous “nanny problem” is a… Read more

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Tongues

Written by Glenn Hutchinson

The media needs to feature more pro-immigrant voices.

Recently, my local newspaper published a letter that blamed immigrants for our economic woes.  I wrote a response where I pointed out that undocumented people pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

Before publishing my letter, the newspaper “fact checker” e-mailed me and wanted sources to back up my claim.  I happily sent her sources, including the National Immigration Law Center, that present the facts that undocumented people pay taxes.

Since 1996, our government has issued nine-digit Individual Tax Identification Numbers, so that people without a social security # can pay taxes.

International

Far Right Extremism and Homophobia Linked

Written by Jill Garvey

Anti-gay violence and far-right extremism go hand-in-hand. Recent high profile instances of hatred against the gay community, or individuals perceived to be gay, parallel a resurgence of far right extremism in America and abroad.

For Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide just two weeks ago after his roommate put images of him being intimate with another man on the internet, college life may have provided a false sense of safety for a vulnerable young man. Once his lifestyle was broadcast to the world, the harsh consequences of being defined as different may have been too much to bear.

But then again, it’s hard to tell these days who is safe and who… Read more

News

Cross-Post: Islamophobia on Trial

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Dutch politican Geert Wilders goes on trial in Amsterdam tomorrow. Wilders is facing charges of incitement to hatred, discrimination against Muslims and insulting Moroccans and other non-Western foreigners. Huffington Post reports:

AMSTERDAM — Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders appealed for freedom of expression Monday as he went on trial for alleged hate speech at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs.

Prosecutors say Wilders has incited hate against Muslims, pointing to a litany of quotes and remarks he has made in recent years. In one opinion piece he wrote “I’ve had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate,” adding “I’ve had enough of… Read more

Cross-Post: In For a Penny: The Rise of America’s New Debtors’ Prisons

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Originally Published on American Civil Liberties Union Website: October, 4th

This ACLU report presents the results of a yearlong investigation into modern-day “debtors’ prisons,” and shows that poor defendants are being jailed at increasingly alarming rates for failing to pay legal debts they can never hope to afford. The report details how across the country, in the face of mounting budget deficits, states are more aggressively going after poor people who have already served their criminal sentences. These modern-day debtors’ prisons impose devastating human costs, waste taxpayer money and resources, undermine our criminal justice system, are racially skewed, and create a two-tiered system of justice.

News

Neo Nazi Show Cancelled in NYC

Written by MJ Olahafa

New York City’s Otto’s Shrunken Head in the East Village was due to host a show this weekend featuring three bands that have direct connections and affiliations with the white power scene.Two of the bands, Veganza Tatuada and Combate 49 self identify as part of the Rock Against Communism music genre. But despite its name, this genre rarely focuses on the specific topic of anti-communism and instead has lyrics which typically feature nationalist, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, racist and other violent themes. Veganza Tatuada and Combate 49 are nationalist supporters of the Colombian death squads. They also have strong ties with a variety of neo-Nazi groups both in the United States and in Latin America,… Read more

I Don’t Have to Think About Race

Written by Amy Spicer

Imagine you get on a train and the only seat open is next to a Rhode Scholar.  Even more impressive this scholar is a widely-celebrated writer with numerous literary awards.  He’s the father of three and a Professor at Brown University. This person is the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.  But maybe you don’t know any of this.  Maybe you choose not to take the open seat next to this fascinating man because of the color of his skin.

Unlike John Edgar Wideman writes about in his New York Times piece “The Seat Not Taken,” I don’t have to think about race every day. I wake up in my comfortable condo, in… Read more

Immigration

Fortress Europe, Fortress America II

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

The fallout from Fortress Europe—the ever-emerging and expanding efforts of European nations to expel or bar immigrants and foreigners—is reaching fever-pitch.  France is kicking out the Roma. Sweden has seated twenty representatives in Parliament from a nationalist, anti-immigrant party.  Germany is stirring over a blatantly anti-immigrant book by a (now former) Bundesbank Board member.  Long-simmering anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment in Italy, Switzerland, and Great Britain continues to fan the flames of racism and xenophobia as hatred spreads across the continent.

Fortress America follows fast on the heels of its Euro-kin. Yet, the anti-immigrant crowd never seems to be quite satisfied with its SB1070s or with growing, spreading… Read more

Immigration

Seven White Men Discuss U.S. Population Stabilization and the Environment

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Yesterday, Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR) held “The First National Conference on Immigration, Conservation and the Environment” at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. from 8:30AM until 4:30PM.  The panel included seven white male panelists.   Not one woman and not one person of color spoke on the panel.  Shocking?  In a less then packed room, about fifty congregated to hear these, “experts” on immigration, conservation and the environment.

Why did the private, invitation-only conference host seven white male panelists and not a single voice from those most impacted by conversations around population control?

PFIR’s all day conference focused on topics that included “U.S. population stabilization;” “the population taboo;” “the impact of immigration… Read more